The Best Modern Commercial Building Colors

Choosing the right paint color for your commercial building is a more nuanced and impactful decision than selecting colors for your home. Factors such as branding, customer perception, and the surrounding environment play a significant role in this decision.

The color of your commercial building holds much more weight than you probably realize. It can influence how potential customers perceive your business and even their decision on whether to enter or not. 

Don’t worry; VanDerKolk Painting, we’ve helped countless businesses in Grand Rapids and beyond find the perfect colors that not only look great but also support their business goals. 

Below, we’ll guide you through the importance of commercial building color, offer tailored recommendations for different business types, and provide practical advice to make your decision seamless and informed.

Why the Color of Your Commercial Building Matters

Your commercial building’s exterior is more than just a structure; it’s a powerful marketing tool. Just as you carefully select branding materials like logos and advertisements, your building’s color is a visual extension of your brand identity. A thoughtfully chosen exterior paint color can enhance brand recognition and increase awareness by 80%. 

Simply through your building’s color, you can also influence customer perception of your brand, set expectations, and build trust with potential and returning customers. Plus, creating a great first impression on new customers or clients is a major win! 

Best Modern Commercial Building Colors

It’s important to recognize that certain colors work better for certain businesses. So, below is a list of the best commercial building colors based on the type of commercial business.

Best Office Building Colors

The best paint colors for office buildings are neutral colors such as:

• Sandy beige
• Light blue
• Shades of gray
• White or cream

These colors convey trust and reliability, making them perfect for businesses hosting meetings or welcoming clients. If your brand includes bolder hues, consider using them as accents to maintain a balance between professionalism and personality. 

Depending on your brand and the surroundings, you could get away with some bolder colors that match your logo. Of course, this will be on a case-by-case basis, but it can be an option. 

Best Retail Store Colors

Retail businesses thrive on attention-grabbing designs. Vibrant, high-energy colors can draw customers to your storefront such as:

• 
  Purple, Blue, and Pink - ideal for stores aimed at women
• Red, Yellow, and Orange - great for discount or fast-paced shopping environments

Choose colors that reflect your store’s personality and products, ensuring a cohesive and memorable customer experience. 

Best Restaurant Colors

Depending on the vibe of the restaurant, almost any exterior paint color can be used. 

• Deep tones like Black, Gray, and Burgundy - for sophisticated, upscale restaurants
• Bright shades like Teal, Yellow, or Green - for trendy and inviting cafes
• Shades of Orange, Soft Yellow, or Red - great for family-friendly restaurants 
• Red and Yellow - for fast-food and quick-service restaurants

The color of your restaurant’s exterior is a great and memorable way to convey what type of experience your customers will have when they step through your doors. It sets the tone for the dining experience and increases brand recognition. 

Best Medical Center Colors

Medical centers, cosmetic spas, and dental offices will almost always benefit from having a clean white or cream exterior. This color promotes cleanliness, serenity, and precision, something many visitors to these facilities rely on. 

Best Warehouse Colors

While warehouses may not be the most glamorous business, that doesn’t mean your exterior shouldn’t be. 

Using paint earth-tone paint colors can elevate the warehouse’s appearance, such as:

• Sand
• Brown
• Beige
• Green

How to Choose a Color for Your Commercial Building

We’ve just covered some of the best colors you can choose depending on your business, but there are other factors to consider than making this important decision. 

Brand Colors

You’ve spent a lot of time and money creating your company’s brand, from designing the logo to the name to the brand colors. These all contribute to how your customer base recognizes your products and services. 

This is definitely something you want to play off of when choosing a color for your commercial building’s exterior. Consider whether the exterior would benefit from boasting your brand colors or choose complementary colors that make your logo stand out. 

Surrounding Environment

Your commercial building is likely located in a downtown neighborhood, city, or strip mall. Before choosing the color for your exterior, consider the surrounding area. How will your color affect your neighboring buildings? Will it look out of place or get just the right amount of attention? 

It’s also important to research local building codes and registrations, especially if you’re located in a historic district with extra aesthetic protections. 

Color Psychology

Certain colors can invoke different feelings in those who see them. This is known as color psychology, and it is often used in advertising and marketing campaigns. When a customer sees the carefully chosen color of your building, they can subconsciously perceive your business in a directed sense. 

Some of the most common colors used in color psychology include:

• Blue and Gray - invoke neutrality but also increase brand loyalty
• Red and Yellow - lively colors with a friendly and fun aura
• Green - influences beliefs of growth and success
• Orange - signals discounts or savings 
• White - perceptions of clean, sleek, and chic

If these colors influence the feelings you want your customers to associate with your brand, using them as exterior paint could be beneficial. 

Building Structure

You also have to consider the architectural design and structure of your commercial building. If your building is older and has more of an Art Deco style, then it can influence the exterior’s color. You’ll want to align the color with the architectural style but also coincide with your business. 

It’s a puzzle where you have to put all of the pieces together to ensure you choose the right color for your commercial building’s exterior.

Trending Commercial Building Colors in 2025

Say goodbye to plain white and gray buildings. As we enter 2025, commercial buildings are embracing new modern colors that liven up the area while also encouraging brand establishment and perception. 

Some of the most popular commercial building colors you can expect to see in 2025 are:

• Earth-Inspired Tones - Colors like terracotta clay and muted taupe are becoming popular because they create a sense of warmth and comfort, which are ideal for industries such as healthcare and hospitality.
• Shades of Green - Colors like sage, olive, and deep emerald are at the forefront of trending colors. They are great for environmentally conscious businesses, education, wellness, and technology companies and offer a calming effect. 
• Bold, Saturated Colors - We’re seeing more vibrant colors like cobalt blue, burnt orange, and mustard yellow replacing neutral grays and whites to help retail stores and creative spaces stand out. 
• Soft Pastels - Pastel shades like dusty rose, powder blue, and soft lavender create a sense of tranquility and a contemporary vibe, making them great for coworking spaces and creative studios.
• Warm Neutrals - Using warm neutral colors offers versatility and a timeless appeal for corporations, such as law firms and financial institutions, giving them a more inviting and human-centric feel.

Embracing these modern color trends can set your business apart from surrounding buildings, increasing brand awareness and stopping more foot traffic.

Find the Perfect Color for Your Commercial Building with VanDerKolk Painting

While it may seem like a small detail, the exterior color of your business’s building can have a major impact on how your customers or partners perceive your product or service. There are so many factors that go into choosing a color (and let’s not forget the type of paint!) that it can feel overwhelming to make such a big decision, especially when you have a company to run.

That’s where VanDerKolk Painting comes in! For the past 30 years, our team of painting professionals has helped commercial businesses in Grand Rapids, Michigan, elevate the appearance of their buildings, both inside and out. From choosing the right color to prepping the surface to getting the job done efficiently and precisely, VanDerKolk Painting is up for the job, no matter how big or small. 

Ready to transform your commercial building? Request a free estimate today with Grand Rapids’ trusted painting experts. Let VanDerKolk Painting bring your vision to life!